St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-14
RAINY LAKE RAILROAD.
An Enthusiastic Mass Meeting Held
in K5ttsOn County.

Special to the Globe.
ST. VINCENT, April ia mass meet
ing of the citizens of Kittson county was
held here for the purpose of discussing
proposition for Kittson county to grant
bonus of $50, 900 in aid of the Rainy Lake
& Southwestern Railroad Company. w. j.
Deacon was elected chairman, and Geo.
Bates, secretary. The deputatiOn represent
ing the company consisted of Capt Looney,
and Messrs. Kelso, Jads and Eklund, of
Hallock. of the county committee. Capt.
LOOney. who is in charge of the survey,
stated that the names OF the incorporators
of the company were Hon. n. Myrick, pres
ident, ST. Paul; Col johnson, vice presi-
dent, Layfette Holmes, ESQ.,, treasurer,
Col. NJ. 7. Moore, secretary. and Attorney
j. A. H. Snider, solicitor, La Crosse. Di-
rectorS, Col. w. Crooks, st. Paul, and
Messrs. H. A. Selzar c. Frame. Capt.
Looney, E. Clarke, r. Miller. E. S. Buck
ingham, V. A. BigeIow, and Olmstead,
of La Crosse. Their scheme was to build
railroad from Rainy Lake river. Mimi, to
point.on the Missouri, in Dakota. He had
been three and a half years in the employ
of the government in making eXplora-
tions through the Rainy river coun-
try, and from the data in his pos
session he was satisfied that there was
700, 900, 900. feet of standing pine in that
country, and that more uncut pine was
available, tributary to Rainy river and
streams running into it. than had been
RATED down the Mississippi to Minneapo.
lis. On the Canadian side there were i'm
menSe timber limits, but no available
market on that side of the line; that the
only way to get this pine to market was
by a railroad and that the distance from
the Red river to their proposed terminus on
Rainy river was 120 miles. Last fall the
directors under his advice. had sent prac-
tical lumberman and bush ranger from La
Crosse to verify his report, who on his re-
turn fully indorsed his representations.
After carefully going over the surveyed
part, he found that it would take nearly
the $50, 900 bonus asked of the county,
extra, to build the road through the center
OF klttSon county as proposed, than it
would to divert it further south. The
road would be built eighty miles in the
county, would open UP six unorganZed
towns. and would settle up the
unsettled part of the county.
MIR. Kelso, chairman of the county commit
tee, read the position they had sent to the
directors to sign as basis on which the
bonus would be granted. He stated that
our wheat crops were magnificent and the
quality of the wheat unsurpassed, but that
it took half a bushel of wheat to buy ali
eighteen-foot board. while the finest pine
region in the Northern states were at our
doors, and that friends of his from Michigan
who had been through the eastern part of
the country informed him that there was the
finest land out OF doors back there. but no
way to get to it. Rainy river was the most
beautiful stream they had ever looked upon.
and, in view of the benefits to be derived
from the building of the road. he was pre-
pared to pay his part of the amount asked
for.
l.. n. Ecklund was satisfied that the
building of the road would start another
boom. would settle up at least six townships
which were all outside the railway limits,
consequently every lot would be taken up;
would increase the value of property all
over the county, and with another outlet
for wheat would raise its price at least sc
per buShel. besides direct outlay of
S20M00O would be made in the county.
Auditor Jadis also spoke. The meeting
concluded with a unanimous vote of thanks
to Capt Looney and Messrs. Kelso, Eek
lund and Jadis.